Last fall, to start preparing for an exam in BIOL 12: Cell Structure and Function, Sage Stretch ’28 went to an open review session. It was led by a Teaching Science Fellow (TSF), a recent Dartmouth graduate who works with faculty in introductory biology and chemistry courses to make the material more accessible. Within the first five minutes, Stretch was glad she went.

“I heard everyone asking interesting questions and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I don’t know nearly as much as I should,’” she says. “I went to another one of her review sessions the next day, after I’d studied a little bit, and could ask my own questions. TSFs really simplify the material in a digestible way, which has been super helpful.”

This fall, the Teaching Science Fellows program has a new leader. In September, Wendy Epps, senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, was named faculty director. She plans to double the program’s size in the next few years and expand it into more STEM disciplines. With support from Dartmouth NEXT, a university-wide initiative aimed at expanding opportunities for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the program expects to recruit seniors in physics this year to serve as fellows in 2027–28.

“NEXT is proud to support and partner with visionary leaders like Wendy as we work together to expand and elevate our thriving STEM ecosystem,” says Ansley Booker, executive director of Dartmouth NEXT. “The TSF scholars inspire, lead, mentor, and help transform the academic landscape at Dartmouth during such a crucial stage for their peers. For years, they have helped students see themselves as someone who belongs in science.”

Epps knows the program well. She has worked with TSFs in her own classroom since 2015, through multiple offerings of CHEM 5: General Chemistry and CHEM 52: Organic Chemistry. Last year, she was the program’s associate director.

She takes over from Professor of Biological Sciences Lee Witters, who launched the program in 2014 and directed it until this fall. Witters is also the Eugene W. Leonard 1921 Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at the Geisel School of Medicine. Each year, the program recruits three full-time TSFs, who work with hundreds of students across nearly 20 STEM courses.

“I have three main goals for the TSF program: to support undergraduate student learning, to mentor the TSFs as educators, and to maintain the high quality and impact of the existing program while exploring possibilities for mindful expansion,” Epps says.

Graduating seniors apply in the fall. Many have already taught as Learning Fellows through the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning or as Peer Tutors through the Academic Skills Center. For them, the fellowship is a logical next step before entering a graduate or professional program. 

Fellows get training, too. They meet weekly with Epps to discuss what’s working in each course, and they read and discuss research on teaching methods.

“One of my main roles is to support the TSFs as developing educators and to help them have the largest possible positive impact on the classes and the students that they work with,” Epps says. “I strive to coordinate with and mentor each TSF in their role while also allowing them the autonomy to explore and refine their own teaching style.”

In each course, fellows run twice-weekly evening review sessions, pre-exam reviews, and one-on-one appointments. They also build study materials: practice problem sets, concept maps, and flashcard decks for each unit. Last year, 2,993 students came to group sessions, and fellows held nearly 2,000 individual appointments. On average, about 64% of students in a course worked with a fellow. 

Each fellow also passes something on. At the end of every term, they write a reflection on what worked and what didn’t, which goes to the course faculty and the next Fellow. They also add to a bank of practice problems that the program has been building since its first year.

Stretch says part of the appeal is that fellows took these courses recently and can explain concepts the way a student would. And because they’re close in age, students feel freer to admit what they don’t understand.

“It just takes all that pressure off,” Stretch says. “You’re just going there to get your questions answered and you have no ulterior agenda. Also there’s something about talking to people who are closer to your own age that’s just a lot more natural, a lot more comfortable, and makes the experience a lot simpler.”

Megan Bond ’24, a TSF in 2024-25 before starting medical school, saw the same thing from the other side.

“I think [my students] felt very comfortable showing that they didn’t know the material or wanted to do better,” she says. “And I honestly think what stayed with students the most was just my belief in them. I remember when I was a student, the biggest impact for me from working with a TSF was it felt like there was a cheerleader on my side—so enthusiastic and positive. At the end of the quarter, students were thanking me for the emotional support as much as the academic support.”

Olivia Koo ’26, one of this year’s three fellows, says TSFs also act as a go-between for students and professors. “If we hear a complaint that’s consistent among students, it’s helpful for us to communicate that to the professor and discuss solutions to that issue.”

Fellows already work with the Academic Skills Center, the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, the Undergraduate Deans Office, and the Health Professions Program, and they help run orientation for first-year students. Epps wants more of that.

“The program is poised to work synergistically with other departmental and schoolwide support offerings, and I look forward to strengthening this cross-conversation and facilitating cooperation among these various impactful programs,” she says.

Koo compares her role to being a big sister. Her goal for the year is “to make science not scary. I really hope I can help students feel confident in their ability to succeed.”